Land use: Auction of dept’s rest houses stayed

LAHORE: Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday stayed the auction of Irrigation Department’s rest houses in Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Hafizabad and Jhang. Petitioner Muhammad Iqbal said the department had constructed rest houses across the province to keep the irrigation system, established in 1882, active. He said some officers in the department wanted to auction rest houses in the four districts on throwaway prices. He said rules were being violated in the auction process owing to political pressure. Counsel for the department told the court rules and regulations were being followed for the auction. The judge stayed the auction and directed the lawyer to submit a detailed reply to the petition at the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2015.